Paek. — On the Jtorassic Age of the Maitai Series. 433 



believed to be an outcrop of fossiliferous Permian rocks in 

 Eighty-eight Valley district, near Wakefield. 



Among the fossils collected from the limestone at Sellen's 

 and Wairoa Gorge he says that Dr. Hector identified " Spiri- 

 fera hisulcata and Productus hrancliythcBms among the Bra- 

 chiopoda, and the genera Cathophyllum and Cathocmms 

 among the corals."''' On this occasion he places the limestone 

 at the base of the Maitai series, instead of at the top, as he 

 did in 1878. 



In the summer of last year I made an examination of the 

 sections of the Wairoa and Maitai formations exposed in the 

 Maitai Valley, along the Dun Mountain tram-line, at Wairoa 

 Gorge, Mount Heslington, and Eighty-eight Valley, at the 

 same time making collections of fossils at all available places. 



In the Wairoa Gorge I observed that the dip and strike of 

 the two formations were the same at every point of exposure. 

 I further noted that the dip of the higher Mytilus beds, 

 granitic conglomerate, and associated strata was such as to 

 carry the Wairoa series conformably below the limestone at 

 the base of the Maitai formation. 



So far as I could determine after an examination of many 

 sections, the two formations seemed to form a continuous 

 sequence, the Wairoa series occupying the inferior position, 

 as reported by Captain Hutton in 1873. 



The result of my observations at the Wairoa Gorge 

 induced me to examine the sections of the Trias in Eighty- 

 eight Valley, more especially those exposed in the vicinity 

 of Well's Greek, where Mr. McKay reported the discovery of 

 supposed Permian (Kaihiku) beds in 1878. A detailed ex- 

 amination of the very clear section exposed along the right 

 bank of Well's Creek showed that the supposed Permian beds 

 occurred at the top and not at the base of the Wairoa series, 

 as reported by Mr. McKay, and this discovery led me to 

 conclude that there was possibly some association between 

 the Wairoa limestone and the so-called Kaihiku beds, which 

 in places are richly fossiliferous and often highly calcareous. 



In November of this year I again re-examined these 

 sections, and also extended my observations to the sections 

 exposed at Sellen's run and Eoding Eiver. The result of 

 my work on this occasion was to fully confirm my former 

 conclusions — namely, that 



(a.) The Wairoa series lies conformably below the Maitai 

 formation. 



(b.) The supposed Permian strata in Eighty-eight Valley 

 are probably the equivalent of the Maitai limestone. 



* Reps. Geol. ExpL, lft78-79, p. 117. 

 28— Trans. 



